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So Kate Sheppard had been successful- she and other women's rights activists had won the right for New Zealand women to vote- but where to from there?
Kate Sheppard's list of achievements was not to stop there. Even in the moments after finding out that they had won, Kate knew there was work to do immediately. A general election had been called, and she was determined that the next election, following hard on the heels of the electoral reform, would show that women wanted to vote. Many had claimed that women didn't really want the vote and Kate and the other campaigners went all out to let these women know that they should flex their electoral muscle. New Zealand women were terribly isolated, with miles of rugged terrain between cities. But Kate had that very nineteenth century feminist view that all women were in fact morally superior to men, and would 'do the right thing'- they would bring new stability and geniality to politics. The election came and went, with none of the ladies sensibilities offended, nor families falling apart, as some of Kate's detractors had claimed. But what was revealed was that women were not voting in a block. True those men that had been particularly virulent in their opposition to the franchise were indeed voted out, but women in other all other respects voted as men did, very diversely. With the election over Kate travelled to Britain to visit her husband's family. She was also in hot demand as a guest speaker to those British women who were still struggling to get the franchise for themselves. The British women desperately wanted to find out 'New Zealand's secret', and gain the franchise for themselves. Kate though was of the opinion that she and her campaigners had succeeded because of New Zealand's colonial beginnings- it was 'a land of political experiments', but also through years of tireless and unmitigated work. On her return to New Zealand she had the task of setting up the National Council of Women. In April 1896 The first National Council of Women was convened. Delegates from all over the country gathered in Christchurch, elected Kate as their president, and got to work. One of the pressing issues was getting women equal divorce rights, before their push for equality women, even if their husband was adulterous, could not sue for divorce. In that first session it was also decided that women should be able to have a guaranteed income from their husbands. After all most women were given a proper income from their husbands, Kate explained, but not all husbands were so good- and wives needed to be protected too, and thus the children.
The copyright of the article Kate Sheppard- The fight continues (part 2) in New Zealand History is owned by . Permission to republish Kate Sheppard- The fight continues (part 2) in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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